Conclusion

There is an urgent need to address the peacekeeping capacity challenge and seek more efficient and more effective solutions through better integration between Troop Contributing Countries and the United Nations. Increasingly, peacekeeping missions are asked to do more, with fewer resources, and do it better in the face of complex new security challenges. This speaks to a growing call for smarter peacekeeping through the use of technology such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to protect civilians and better enable peacekeepers to do their job; to provide Force Commanders with clearer mandates and the resources and Rules of Engagement to match; to not ask soldiers to do the tasks of humanitarians and governance advisors or peacebuilders; and to not underestimate the power and importance of local legitimacy and ownership for sustainable peace. And there is a critical imperative to provide a duty of care for soldiers of whom much is asked.